Lausanne cohort 65+ (Lc65+) study

To better understand and prevent frailty as early as age 65

The Lausanne cohort 65+ (Lc65+) study is a research platform on aging aimed at better understanding frailty from the age of 65 in the general population. It consists of four samples of approximately 1,500 participants each, representative of the population of the city of Lausanne born before, during, at the end of World War II, and in the middle of the baby-boom generation. These four samples were enrolled successively at the same age of 65–70 years in 2004 (birth years 1934–1938), 2009 (1939-1943), 2014 (1944-1948), and 2024 (1954-1958).

The analytical framework of the study is centered on a multidimensional investigation of frailty, including its clinical manifestations, underlying risk factors, and its broader implications for health status, quality of life, and healthcare utilization. From a public health standpoint, the overarching objective is to foster healthy aging by enabling the early identification of frailty and implementing strategies to mitigate its adverse outcomes.

The main objectives

Compare

To compare health evolution and health care service utilization from age 65 onwards in three consecutive samples issued from the general population

Compare

Understand

To improve our understanding of the frailty process and its consequences, as well as related needs for care, based on longitudinal data

Understand

Prevent

To design preventive interventions aimed at avoiding or delaying unfavorable outcomes in older age

Prevent

The Lausanne cohort 65+ study also contributes to the Vaud health information system, either directly or through complementary surveys integrated into this platform. It aligns with the Vieillir2030 cantonal policy.

The complementary surveys include:

  • Gait measurement using the Physilog system (2005–2018, in collaboration with the Service de gériatrie et réadaptation gériatrique, CHUV, and the Laboratoire de mesure et d’analyse des mouvements, EPFL)
  • The Vaud-Geneva Quality of Life Study (2011)
  • The survey on the new adult protection law (2014, in collaboration with the Service de gériatrie et réadaptation gériatrique, CHUV)
  • Household dust collection (2014–2016, in collaboration with the Institut universitaire romand de Santé au Travail)
  • The complementary survey on care (2012, 2017)
  • Coronavirus and lockdown experience (2020)